BIELEFELD, Germany: German Cup holders Bayer Leverkusen suffered a shock 2-1 elimination at Arminia Bielefeld in the semifinals of the competition on Tuesday.
Xabi Alonso’s side were heavily favored to reach their second successive final but were outclassed from start to finish by their underdog opponents.
Jonathan Tah’s 17th-minute goal was canceled out by a Marius Woerl strike for the hosts three minutes later.
Maximilian Grosser’s goal in first-half stoppage time would prove the difference for Bielefeld, who have now beaten four top-division opponents on their way to the final.
Bielefeld, who have never made a German Cup final, became just the fourth third-division team to reach the showpiece event.
Should Bielefeld win in Berlin in May — they will face either RB Leipzig or Stuttgart — the club will be rewarded with a Europa League spot next season.
Home coach Michel Kniat said: “We didn’t need luck at all because we were on the front foot the whole time.”
The coach said he “normally wouldn’t have a drink with the players, but tonight I’ll make an exception,” adding that “nobody will go to sleep in this city tonight.”
Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich said it was “by far our worst game of the season” and added that “Bielefeld deserved the win tonight, which means we did plenty of things wrong.”
Leverkusen coach Alonso came into the game having never lost in 10 matches in the competition and needed just one more victory to beat Louis van Gaal’s all-time record set as Bayern Munich manager.
Everything seemed to go according to plan when Leverkusen took the lead after 17 minutes, Tah tapping in unmarked at the far post.
The hosts hit back almost immediately however, Woerl taking advantage of a sloppy clearance attempt by Piero Hincapie to curl the ball home.
As the half wore on, Leverkusen were unable to make their possession count, with Bielefeld fast and threatening on the counter.
The hosts once again caught Leverkusen napping to take the lead moments before halftime, Grosser hammering in a Louis Oppie free kick from close range.
Bielefeld continued to out-energise their opponents, fighting in the duels and giving Leverkusen few chances to drag themselves back into the game.
Patrick Schick, so often Leverkusen’s late hero over the past two seasons, had a chance to level the scores while unmarked after 81 minutes but hit a header against the post.
This year’s German Cup is one of the more open in recent memory, with recent champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt all suffering early eliminations from the competition.
On Wednesday, RB Leipzig play away at Stuttgart in the other semifinal.
Leipzig, who have won two of the past three German Cups, will be managed by interim coach Zsolt Low, who took over after Marco Rose was sacked on Sunday.
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
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Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
- Bielefeld, who have never made a German Cup final, became just the fourth third-division team to reach the showpiece event
‘20 years of engagement’ — inaugural Formula 4 championship success signals bright future for motorsport in Saudi Arabia
- Peter Thompson, founder of the Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship and Meritus.GP team principal, spoke about the Kingdom’s first motorsport academy and his hopes for the future
RIYADH: Last year welcomed the inaugural season of the FIA-certified Aramco Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship.
The series, which aims to provide the first step on the ladder towards Formula 1, was the culmination of years of collaboration between various investors and partners, led by the Kingdom’s first motorsport academy, Meritus.GP.
The championship’s mission?
To produce local driving talent, strengthen Saudi national race engineering capabilities and advance motorsport in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Five Saudi drivers emerged, with standout victories by Omar Al-Dereyaan and Faisal Al-Kabbani, both from Riyadh. Other graduates included race winner Oscar Wurz, who has since won the 2025 Central European Formula 4 Championship.
Arab News spoke with Peter Thompson, founder of Formula 4 Saudi Arabia and Meritus.GP, about the season’s success and his hopes for the future.
How did Meritus.GP build the Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship?
The Formula 4 Saudi Arabian Championship was the result of more than 20 years of engagement, exploration and groundwork in Saudi Arabia, in anticipation of a potential FIA-certified junior single-seater championship in the Kingdom.
Long before the first Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, we were on the ground exploring circuit development opportunities, assessing infrastructure readiness and evaluating whether Saudi Arabia could host a round of one of the Asian championships operated by the team. Throughout this period, we maintained long-standing relationships within Saudi motorsport circles including former Meritus.GP driver Raad Abduljawad and his brother Mohammed Abduljawad.
A defining moment came with the introduction of Formula 1 to Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit quickly became a visible symbol of this ambition, providing confidence that Saudi Arabia could support not only Formula One, but also a structured ladder of junior single-seater racing.
When did Meritus.GP receive formal institutional approval to begin Formula 4 Saudi Arabia?
More than three years of focused groundwork preceded the first race. During this period there was no formal government mandate, no guaranteed institutional backing and no commercial certainty that the project would proceed or be viable.
Then, in December 2022, a formal No-Objection Letter was issued by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, under the leadership of its then-CEO Sattam Al-Hozami, which allowed the project to progress from concept to reality.
Recognizing the benefits F4 would bring to the Kingdom, Mohammed Abduljawad became an investor in June 2023, and Formula 4 Saudi Arabia moved into full delivery mode.
What were the objectives of the proposal presented to Saudi Aramco?
The proposal positioned Aramco Formula 4 Saudi Arabia as a long-term national development platform aligned with Vision 2030.
Its objectives included creating a structured FIA driver pathway from grassroots to Formula One, as well as developing Saudi engineers, mechanics and officials in motorsports.
How did the championship support Saudi drivers, and what was the impact on local talent?
A core objective of Formula 4 Saudi Arabia was to create a genuine, fair and internationally credible environment in which Saudi racers could develop.
Saudi drivers competed alongside international peers under identical technical and sporting conditions, allowing performance and development to be measured objectively.
They ended up achieving race wins, podium finishes and measurable progress across the season, demonstrating that when provided with the right structure, Saudi talent can compete at international level.
How has Formula 4 Saudi Arabia engaged with Saudi education and skills development?
Education and skills transfer formed an important part of the championship’s wider mission.
During the season, Meritus.GP engineers and senior staff visited Saudi education and research institutions such as KAUST, Alfaisal University, University of Tabuk and the Japanese College in Jeddah to discuss career pathways in motorsport engineering, data analysis, and systems integration. These engagements were designed to connect academic study with real-world high-performance engineering environments.
What level of investment was required and how did you ensure equality of performance?
Approximately $6.5 million was invested prior to the first event.
Was there any pre-season training to help Saudi drivers prepare?
During August and September 2023 Saudi drivers participated in a structured pre-season academy program at Meritus.GP’s training facility in Sepang, Malaysia.
What role did sports psychology and driver well-being play in the championship?
Driver well-being and mental performance were treated as integral components of driver development.
Formula 4 Saudi Arabia appointed a dedicated sports psychologist to support drivers throughout the season, focusing on mental preparation, confidence building, coping strategies, performance consistency and adaptation to high-pressure racing environments.
